System and apparatus for object based attention tracking in a virtual environment

ABSTRACT

A system and operational method that supplies visual stimuli to each subject in the form of a virtual environment in which at least the objects of interest have a three dimensional wire frame or mesh frame of a number of polygons that is surrounded with at least one skin or surface; wherein the visual stimuli is presented in a test session to the subject on a display device including an eye tracking sub-system that can effectively track the subject&#39;s gaze direction and focus on the display device throughout the test session; wherein unique colors are assigned to the mesh frame and/or an eye tracking skin of each object of interest whereby the system can evaluate the obtained eye tracking data and assign attention data to specific objects of interest resulting in object specific attention data.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/140,229 filed Jun. 16, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,661,which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/140,229 claims the benefit of provisional patent application60/944,094 filed Jun. 14, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to object based attention tracking in avirtual environment.

2. Background Information

Eye-tracking within this application will reference the point of gaze ofa subject, rather than associating the motion of the eye relative to thehead that is also referenced as eye tracking (although these two eyetracking items are clearly related).

Eye-tracking has been used in “usability testing” for many years,possibly the first practical applications with cockpit design testing in1950. Such early work has been valuable in establishing some assumptionsabout the relationships between eye-movement data and the cognitiveactivity of a user. Frequency of fixations was assumed to be related tothe importance of the control, while the duration of fixations wasrelated with ease of interpreting information.

Alfred L. Yarbus (sometimes spelled Iarbus) was a Russian psychologistwho studied eye movements in the 1950s and 1960s and noted “records ofeye movements show that the observer's attention is usually held only bycertain elements of the picture. ( . . . ) Eye movements reflect thehuman thought processes; so the observer's thought may be followed tosome extent from records of eye movements (the thought accompanying theexamination of the particular object). It is easy to determine fromthese records which elements attract the observer's eye (and,consequently, his thought), in what order, and how often.” See A. L.Yarbus, Eye Movements and Vision. New York: Plenum Press, 1967.(Translated from Russian by Basil Haigh. Original Russian editionpublished in Moscow in 1965).

Eye tracking methodologies have been exploited successfully by the printadvertising media for several decades. Understanding where a viewer'sattention will be directed on static image has been utilized to maximizethe effectiveness of the static image, e.g. printed, advertisement. Thisis merely one use of attention tracking developments which is on thecommercial side. Other research applications have been pursued in thisfield.

The advent of effective computer monitor based eye tracking systems,such as the Tobii T/X™ series of eye trackers from Tobii Technology AB,have significantly improved the abilities of attention tracking reviewof static images on a computer. Such eye tracking testing providesunique methods to assess the impact of advertisements and web pages. Itis believed that where people look accurately reflects their attention,thinking and what information they are processing. Automated eyetracking provides insights that cannot be obtained directly with othertesting methods.

It is asserted that by effectively testing a proposed design (such as aprint advertisement, product design, or webpage) before launch with anautomated eye tracking system, the users are able to greatly improve itsimpact and avoid large spending on suboptimal design. In contrast tomany design testing systems today, such as focus group studies,automatic eye tracking provides objective results. It is asserted thatby observing people's eye gaze, a true measure of responses andreactions is obtained without the filtering of the respondent's logicalmind or the influence and interpretation of a test leader. It isasserted that such automatic eye tracking provides both qualitative andquantitative results that allow users to gain clear insight andeffectively communicate design implications: for example a user can (i)Observe how a subject's eyes wander across a design, in real time orafter testing, to obtain a deep and direct understanding of reactionsand cognitive thought processes; (ii) Show visualizations like gazeplots and hot spots to effectively illustrate how individuals or groupsof people look at a user's design and where to place valuable content,and (iii) quantifiably identify and back up conclusions about whatpeople see and for how long.

As a representative examples of the objective results of typicalautomatic eye tracking studies, FIG. 1 illustrates a prospective gazeplot 4 of a print advertisement, or static image 2, obtained from andautomatic eye tracking study and FIG. 2 is a graph 6 associated withthis print advertisement review. FIG. 3 is a hotspot plot 8, also calledheat plot, of a collection of subject studies of a prospective webpageor static image 2. These representative illustrations may be found atwww.tobii.com along with further descriptions of the abilities ofautomatic eye tracking for static images 2. Within the meaning of thisapplication eye tracking data, gaze data, hotspot, gaze plots and thelike will be collectively referred to as attention tracking or attentiondata.

Similar automatic eye tracking systems have been applied to videostreams as well. The systems work very well at tracking what portions ofthe screen or monitor the subjects were looking at any given timethroughout the session. However, unlike the still images, this datacannot be easily associated with particular three dimensional objects orareas of interest (AOI) within the video stream. In most videos, bytheir nature, the three dimensional objects move around relative to oneanother on the monitor.

Some attempts have been made to co-ordinate the eye tracking data of avideo stream with the particular three dimensional objects of the videothrough a laborious hand mapping procedure. In such a mapping procedurethe eye tracked data is reviewed in a frame by frame manner and the gazedata is then assigned on a frame by frame basis to specific objectswithin the video. This process is extremely time consuming so as to makelarge data samples impractical, further it introduces the subjectiveissues of the person assigning the gaze data to an object. For example,two different researchers analyzing the same frame may assign the samedata differently to two separate objects, e.g. one assigns the data tothe face of a person in the foreground and the other assigns the gaze toan automobile in the background of that frame.

There is a need for efficiently, effectively and objectively assigningeye tracking data to moving objects in viewed stimuli. The ability toprovide such a tool to researchers and the like will open the door to agreater number of applications than used with still images, as we livein a moving three dimensional world.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system andoperational method that supplies visual stimuli to each subject in theform of a virtual environment in which at least the objects of interesthave a three dimensional wire frame, or mesh frame, of a number ofpolygons that is surrounded with at least one skin, or surface; whereinthe visual stimuli is presented in a test session to the subject on adisplay device including an eye tracking sub-system that can effectivelytrack the subjects gaze direction and focus on the display devicethroughout the test session; wherein unique colors are assigned to themesh frame and/or an eye tracking skin of each object of interestwhereby the system can evaluate the obtained eye tracking data andassign attention data to specific objects of interest resulting inobject specific attention data.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the objects ofinterest have a first realistic skin that is provided on the objectsthroughout the subject's session, and the session data is evaluated witha second eye tracking skin that is applied to the objects of interest.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the second skinof at least one object is divided into sub-objects or object parts, witheach object part provided with a unique color designation.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the second skinof at least one object is formed as a wash or range of a given colorfrom one end of the object to the other.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the second skinof at least one object is formed as a combination of two or three colorswith each color being a wash or range of a given color from one end ofthe object to the other in a given direction and wherein the directionsfor each color wash are angled with respect to each other.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the objects ofinterest are assigned metadata that allows for sorting and categorizingthe resulting object attention data.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the evaluationof the obtained eye tracking data and the assigning of attention data tospecific objects of interest that results in object specific attentiondata is obtained during the session.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the evaluationof the obtained eye tracking data and the assigning of attention data tospecific objects of interest that results in object specific attentiondata is obtained following the session in post session processing.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the objects ofinterest have a first realistic skin that is provided on the objectsthroughout the subject's session, and the unique colors are assigned tothe mesh frame to provide for real time in session object attentiondata.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention and the sessiondata is evaluated with the combination of unique colors that areassigned to the mesh frame and a second eye tracking skin that isapplied to the objects of interest. The assignment of the unique colorsmay be subsequent to the initial session and can be applied andreapplied as desired to obtain any set or subset of object informationin the session.

These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified inthe brief description of the preferred embodiment taken together withthe drawings in which like reference numerals represent like elementsthroughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prospective gaze plot of a print advertisementobtained from an automatic eye tracking study with an existing eyetracking system;

FIG. 2 is a graph associated with the review of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a hotspot plot, also called heat plot, of a collection ofsubject studies of a prospective webpage obtained from an automatic eyetracking study with an existing eye tracking system;

FIG. 4 is a collection of views of a three dimensional wire frame modelof an object, namely a dinosaur, for a virtual environment;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the wire frame model of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the wire frame model of FIG. 5A with aoverlaying texture or skin;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a wire frame model of a human headobject for a virtual environment;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the wire frame model of FIG. 6A with anoverlaying texture or skin;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a wire frame model of a human headobject for a virtual environment;

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the wire frame model of FIG. 7A with anoverlaying texture or skin; and

FIGS. 7C-E are perspective views of the wire frame model of FIG. 7A withan overlaying attention tracking texture or skin in accordance with theobjects of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As noted above the objects of the present invention is for efficiently,effectively and objectively assigning eye tracking data to movingobjects 10 in viewed stimuli. In addressing this problem the inventorshave considered the advantages of computer animation, and namely 3Danimation.

Computer animation can be broadly classified into 2D and 3D animation.Though both categories take the same approach towards animation, the wayeach still picture is drawn is drastically different. In 2D animation,the artist draws the scene pretty much the same way he would on a sheetof paper. Only instead of using a pencil or a brush, he/she now uses amouse or a graphic tablet. On the other hand, in 3D animation, everyobject 10 in the scene is sculpted in 3D to form what is called a wireframe model as shown in FIGS. 4, 5A, 6A and 7A. A wire frame model isactually made up of a series of perpendicular lines 14 following thecontours of the object 10, with the lines 14 forming polygons 12 thatform the image of the three dimensional object 10. It is the vertices ofthe lines 14, or corners of the polygons 12, that the computer controlsfor properly manipulating and drawing the underlying model of the object10.

FIGS. 4, 5A, 6A and 7A illustrate some wire frame models for objects 10in 3D animation. A realistic skin 20, or surface texturing, is placed oneach model to complete the animation process. Typically the skin 20 addsthe detail and realism that allows for extremely rich virtualenvironments that are common in modern video games and virtualsimulations. Shading and lighting considerations are also important forrealistic portrayals of objects 10 in virtual environments but suchissues do not play an important aspect of the present invention.

It is an important aspect of the present invention that the skins ofobjects 10 can be readily and easily changed without changing theunderlying frame model of an object 10, or altering the eye trackingdata collected from the subject.

In computing, a game engine is the core software component of a videogame and it typically handles image rendering, on a portion of the gameengine sometimes called a renderer, and other necessary technology. Therenderer component of the game engine is what performs the 3D animation.The present invention is implemented on existing game engines thatutilize this 3D animation technology, such as the Source™ game enginefrom Valve Corporation that has developed the popular Half-Life 2™ brandvideo game.

It is important for the system to maintain a history of the eye trackingdata collected as discussed below, and of the specific visual stimuli,namely objects 10, presented to the subject in the virtual environment.This record must include what is displayed to the subject, as well aswhat interactions the subject made with the world, if any (some virtualenvironments may allow for viewing only with no subjectinteraction—which is just viewed as a simplified case). This is commonin many video games that allow for an “instant replay” of a segment ofthe game

The present invention provides a system and operational method thatsupplies visual stimuli to each subject in the form of a virtualenvironment in which at least the three dimensional objects 10 ofinterest have a three dimensional wire frame or mesh frame of a numberof polygons 12 that is surrounded with at least one skin 20 or surface.The creation of a virtual environment is certainly well known to thosein the gaming arts and familiar with 3D wire frame modeling.

The movement and operation of the various simulated objects 10 withinthe virtual environment will also be well known to those in the gamingarts. For example, some gaming engines have an excellent representationof gravity and acceleration so that objects realistically move in agiven environment in accordance with conventional physics.

Further, it is well known to create a virtual environment that the userinteracts with in a first person mode, such as in the early groundbreaking game DOOM™ that also introduced the concept of the “gameengine” apart from the game itself. It is also well known to havecharacter and animal objects, also called Non-player characters or NPCs,interact with subject within the game, and, in fact, the subject'sinteraction with such characters is often the entire point of a videogame.

These well known components allow for creating a rich, realistic virtualenvironment for any imaginable scenario or environment for the subjectto observe, and in many applications, interact with. The details ofcreating the virtual environment are not discussed in detail here, onlybriefly described in a manner sufficient to convey the key aspects ofthe present invention.

In the present invention the visual stimuli is in the form of virtualenvironment in which the subject will observe and typically interactwith often in a first person perspective. The visual stimuli ispresented in a test session to the subject on a display device includingan eye tracking sub-system that can effectively track the subjects gazedirection and focus on the display device throughout the test session.The eye tracking system can be separate from the display monitorprovided that the eye tracking system can record the eye tracking dataas well as timing signals sufficient to synchronize the eye trackingdata with the displayed session during subsequent evaluation with theattention tracking skins 30 of the present invention.

As discussed above a number of suitable eyetracking systems areavailable. The Tobii T/X™ series of eye trackers from Tobii TechnologyAB, provide an integrated display or monitor and eye tracking systemthat is well suited for the present invention. This eye tracker andmonitor allows the eye tracked data to be accurately collected andintegrated or synchronized with the session video throughout a sessionsuch that the gaze position on the monitor is known for each time periodthroughout the test session. It is the key feature of the presentinvention to easily map or assign this data to objects 10 of interestwithin the visual stimuli that has been presented in the session.

A critical feature of the present invention is that the objects 10 ofinterest can be differentiated from the remaining portions of thevirtual environment through use of attention tracking skins 30 or uniquecolored wire frames 14. For example, unique colors may be assigned tothe mesh frame and/or an eye tracking skin 30 of each object 10 ofinterest whereby the system can evaluate the obtained eye tracking dataand assign attention data to specific objects 10 of interest resultingin object specific attention data. Specifically the system can evaluatethe eye tracking data to determine where the focus is on the monitor andthen review the color of the polygon 12 frame and/or the skin 30 at thatlocation.

The unique colors will identify the objects of interest and the gazedata can then be associated with the appropriate objects 10 in an easymanner.

For example in a baseball batting scenario designed for pitchrecognition or the like, the model 10 of the baseball in the simulation(either the frame or the skin or both) can be re-assigned the color blueas a eye tracking skin 30 and everything else (all other object skins inthe environment) re-assigned to black for post session processing. Thesubject's session can then be “rerun” after the original session withthe reassigned colors and skins 30 applied. This rerun of the data canoccur at an accelerated speed so long as the playback frames are timesynchronized with the stream of eye tracking data. The system willcompare the color of the polygon 12 that is the focus of the gaze ateach gaze data point and if it is blue the system will designate thatthe subject's focus was on the ball 10 for the given data point. Toexpand upon this example, the pitcher, the fielders and other baserunners in the batting simulation may also be objects 10 of interest andeach assigned unique colors so the system can designate the amount ofattention data applied to each in a similar processing step. It shouldbe clear that this processing, as described, may be a post processingprocedure accomplished after the session has been accomplished. Furtherit should be apparent that the session can be re-run with differentdesignations, as the researchers see fit. For example the researcher maygo back and create a new skin 30 for the pitcher, or merely the pitchersthrowing hand.

An object 10, such as the pitcher, may be divided into sub-objects 323or object parts 32 (throwing hand, glove hand, feet, head), with eachobject part provided with a unique color designation to provide abreakdown of where on an object 10 a subject was concentrating.

The focal point of the gaze may not be a single polygon 12 but insteadis more likely to be a focus range, or area of focus, such as a givendiameter. This may be an adjustable parameter and accounts for “fovialdropoff”. The system may attribute the attention data to all objectswithin the focus area for the given data point. Alternatively the focusarea may have decreasing focus values toward the edges, in that objectsnear the center of the focus area are given an attention value of oneand those near the edges are at or close to zero. This is referenced asan acuity weighting. The focus area may be non-circular as well, ifdesired. Various obvious strategies can be applied to optimize theacuity weighting, e.g. fractional proportion of colored pixels assignedto each object within the focus range vs “winner take all” whereby theobject with the largest proportion of colored pixels within the focusrange is assigned full value and others are assigned no value.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the second skin30 of an object 10 of interest may be formed as a wash or range orgradient 34 of a given color from one end of the object 10 to the otheras shown in FIG. 7C. For example, an automobile that is an object 10 ofinterest in a scenario may be provided with a second eye tracking skin30 that has a continuously changing, gradient 34, shade of blue from thefront of the car to the back of the car. With this “gradient” skin 30the system can assign the eye tracking data to the car and specificsections (front to back) of the car as each different shade is a uniqueidentifier. It should be apparent that the system has no difficulty isaccurately distinguishing two shades that are only minutely differentfrom each other.

Alternatively, the second skin 30 of an object 10 of interest may beformed as a combination of two or three colors with each color being awash or range, or gradient 34 and 36, of a given color from one end ofthe object to the other in a given direction and wherein the directionsfor each color wash are angled with respect to each other. In theautomobile example, shades of blue are used from front to back, yellowfrom top to bottom, and red from side to side. In this manner eachparticular location of the automobile will have a designated color thatis set by particular combinations of red, blue and yellow within therange of each color. The level of uniqueness is determined only by thevariation of colors that the system can distinguish.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the objects 10of interest are assigned metadata that allows for sorting andcategorizing the resulting object attention data. Metadata is dataassociated with an object in the virtual environment that is not part ofthe display parameters for rendering the object. For examples,non-player characters can be categorized by race, gender, clothingstyle, hair color, personality (e.g. smiling, happy, aggressive),height, weight, appearance, or any characteristic that the user deemshelpful. The objects of interest can then be sorted accordingly.

For example, the user may desire the breakdown of attention dataassociated with females vs males NPC or short vs tall NPC or moving vsstationary objects within the session. The attachment of metadata ismerely an additional tool for researchers to easily parse and accumulaterobust attentional data sets. As with the second skin analysis, themetadata can be added in post processing as it does not effect thesession from the subjects perspective.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention the evaluationof the obtained eye tracking data and the assigning of attention data tospecific objects 10 of interest that results in object specificattention data is obtained during the session. In other words theprocessing of the attention data is performed during the session itself.This analysis requires the designations of objects 10 of interest, atleast originally to be made prior to the session. In this embodiment thedesignations of the objects 10 of interest may be through unique coloridentification of the frame 14 rather than the skin 20. In this manner aunique identifier is on the object 10 but the object 10, from thesubjects view, does not look any different. The system, however, willidentify that the focus is on a “blue” colored frame 14, for example,and identify the gaze with the “blue framed” object 10 of interest. Thiswould be real time object based attention tracking in the virtualenvironment.

The real time object based attention tracking in the virtual environmentallows for the virtual environment to be modified in accordance with theobserved data. For example if the “yellow” framed objects 10 of interestare receiving less attention than a set threshold, additional “yellow”framed objects are presented in the ongoing session. As a representativeexample, if stop signs 10 in a driving tutorial are not receiving apredetermined threshold, then more stop signs 10 may appear later. In agaming environment, consider a football simulation, if the subject,playing offense, fails to observe the safety 10 crowding the line beforethe safety blitz, then the game intelligence will call more safetyblitzes to run against the subject later in the game (possiblyregardless whether the initial safety blitz was successful). The realtime processing will allow the object based attention tracking featureof the present invention provide feedback for the subsequent virtualenvironment that is presented to the subject.

The present invention provides a virtual world with the ability tocontrol the texture/skin 30 or frame of the objects of interest thereinthat is run for the subject in a manner to obtain eye tracking data. Theinvention integrates the eye tracking data, that can operate at, atleast, 50 hz, onto the objects 10 of interest by allowing the system toprocess, either real time or through post processing, the eye trackingdata with the differentiated objects 10 of interest.

The present invention provides a tool that has a number of applications.The advertising uses of the present invention may be considered as anexpansion of the advertising uses of eye tracking with static images.For example, instead of examining how potential customers view staticimages of a product, a realistic three dimensional virtualrepresentation of the proposed new product concept can be developed inan ecologically valid virtual environment that can track how thesubjects view the product in an interactive environment. For examplewhat do they look at as they pick up the product and when the use theproduct. The subjects can, for example, drive new proposed cars. This isadvantages from a human factors analysis and product evaluation analysisfor advertising or product development.

Product placement can be reviewed with the present invention by havingsubjects walk through, for example, a virtual store or aisle of a storewith product placement including competitor products, and allow forsubjects to pull the product off of the shelf. This is far superior thanthe static image gaze path review of the store shelf.

Fashion design and clothing design represent another illustrativeexample of the present invention where a model of the cloths and thesimulated human models modeling the clothing can be created virtually tobetter review attention data. In other words are the cloths attractingthe attention or is it the models themselves that are garnering theattention? Further, what aspects of the clothing is attracting theattention.

As a medical example of the application of the present invention thepatients gaze at a video image presented to the patient in an fmrienvironment can be accurately tracked and utilized in real time toassist the patient.

The research applications of the present invention are limitless. Forexample, virtual environments can be created to easily, accurately andobjectively obtain drug evaluations for new drugs (and old drugs).Currently new drugs in clinical trials obtain a large variety ofsubjective data asking patients how they feel, did they observe anyadverse effects, and the like. The present invention allows for testingparticular drug effects for activities of daily living (ADLs). Noteagain that eye movements reflect the human thought process, consequentlythe attention tracking of the present invention can be used toobjectively view how certain drugs may affect the human thought process.

The present invention can be used for bio-feedback device as describedabove in connection with the virtual simulation to held drive thesimulation itself. This feedback is not limited to gaming, but is usefulfor research and training aspects of the invention. Attention trackingcan be combined with other physical parameters, such as pupil sizechanges, to further evaluate what was associated with the gaze data. Forexample a surprise would be indicated by both the attention data andpupil size.

The present invention is well suited for training exercises of almostany type, particularly for scenarios that would be dangerous orimpractical for real life processes. For example, training policeofficers to safely conduct a traffic stop, safely take persons intocustody, drive defensively, observe and evaluate threats can all beparticularly useful applications of the present invention with theappropriate virtual environment/scenarios.

The present invention is well suited for testing as well as training ina greater manner than existing testing simulators. For example inlanding a plane the attention data can better explain failures ratherthan merely failing the test. As another example, in testing drivers,the test can see whether the new drivers are actually looking in therear view mirror before changing lanes.

Although the present invention has been described with particularityherein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to thespecific embodiment disclosed. It will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art that various modifications may be made to the presentinvention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An operational method for object based attentiontracking in a virtual environment comprising the steps of: supplyingvisual stimuli to at least one person in the form of a virtualenvironment in which at least the objects of interest have a threedimensional wire frame of that is surrounded with a skin, wherein thevisual stimuli is presented in a session to the person on a displaydevice; tracking the persons gaze direction and focus on the displaydevice throughout at least a portion of the session with an eye trackingsub-system; assigning unique identifiers to the models of the objects ofinterest; evaluating the obtained eye tracking data and assigningattention data to specific objects of interest resulting in objectspecific attention data.
 2. The operational method for object basedattention tracking in a virtual environment according to claim 1 furtherincluding the step of applying a first realistic skin that is providedon the objects throughout the person's session; and applying a secondeye tracking skin that is applied to the objects of interest before thesession data is evaluated.
 3. The operational method for object basedattention tracking in a virtual environment according to claim 2 whereinthe second skin of at least one object is divided into sub-objects. 4.The operational method for object based attention tracking in a virtualenvironment according to claim 3 wherein each object part provided witha unique color designation.
 5. The operational method for object basedattention tracking in a virtual environment according to claim 2 whereinthe second skin of at least one object is formed as a gradient of agiven color from one end of the object to the other.
 6. The operationalmethod for object based attention tracking in a virtual environmentaccording to claim 2 further including the step of assigning metadata tothe objects of interest that allows for sorting and categorizing theresulting object attention data.
 7. The operational method for objectbased attention tracking in a virtual environment according to claim 2wherein the evaluation of the obtained eye tracking data and theassigning of attention data to specific objects of interest that resultsin object specific attention data is obtained during the session.
 8. Theoperational method for object based attention tracking in a virtualenvironment according to claim 2 wherein the evaluation of the obtainedeye tracking data and the assigning of attention data to specificobjects of interest that results in object specific attention data isobtained following the session in post session processing.
 9. Theoperational method for object based attention tracking in a virtualenvironment according to claim 1 further including the step of applyinga first realistic skin that is provided on the objects throughout theperson's session.
 10. The operational method for object based attentiontracking in a virtual environment according to claim 9 wherein theunique identifiers are represented by unique colors and wherein uniquecolors are assigned to the mesh frame.
 11. The operational method forobject based attention tracking in a virtual environment according toclaim 10 wherein the evaluation of the obtained eye tracking data andthe assigning of attention data to specific objects of interest thatresults in object specific attention data is obtained during theperson's session.
 12. The operational method for object based attentiontracking in a virtual environment according to claim 10 furtherincluding the step of assigning metadata to the objects of interest thatallows for sorting and categorizing the resulting object attention data.13. The operational method for object based attention tracking in avirtual environment according to claim 9 wherein the evaluation of theobtained eye tracking data and the assigning of attention data tospecific objects of interest that results in object specific attentiondata is obtained during the person's session.
 14. The operational methodfor object based attention tracking in a virtual environment accordingto claim 9 wherein the evaluation of the obtained eye tracking data andthe assigning of attention data to specific objects of interest thatresults in object specific attention data is obtained following thesession in post session processing.
 15. The operational method forobject based attention tracking in a virtual environment according toclaim 9 further including the step of assigning metadata to the objectsof interest that allows for sorting and categorizing the resultingobject attention data.
 16. An operational method for object basedattention tracking in a virtual environment comprising the steps of:supplying visual stimuli to at least one person in the form of a virtualenvironment in which at least the objects of interest have a threedimensional wire frame of that is surrounded with a skin, wherein thevisual stimuli is presented in a session to the person on a displaydevice; tracking the persons gaze direction and focus on the displaydevice throughout at least a portion of the session with an eye trackingsub-system; assigning unique identifiers to the models of the objects ofinterest; evaluating the obtained eye tracking data and assigningattention data to specific objects of interest resulting in objectspecific attention data further including the step of applying a firstrealistic skin that is provided on the objects throughout the person'ssession; and applying a second eye tracking skin that is applied to theobjects of interest before the session data is evaluated wherein thesecond skin of at least one object is formed as a combination of atleast two colors with each color being a gradient of a given color fromone end of the object to the other in a given direction and wherein thedirections for each color gradient are angled with respect to eachother.
 17. An operational method for object based attention tracking ina virtual environment comprising the steps of supplying visual stimulito at least one person in the form of a virtual environment in which atleast the objects of interest have a three dimensional wire frame thatis surrounded with at least one skin; wherein the visual stimuli ispresented in a session to each person on a display device including aneye tracking sub-system that can effectively track the person's gazedirection and focus on the display device throughout at least a portionof the session; wherein unique identifiers are assigned to at least oneof the wire frame and an eye tracking skin of each object of interestwhereby the system can evaluate the obtained eye tracking data andassign attention data to specific objects of interest resulting inobject specific attention data.
 18. The operational method for objectbased attention tracking in a virtual environment according to claim 17wherein the evaluation of the obtained eye tracking data and theassigning of attention data to specific objects of interest that resultsin object specific attention data is obtained during the session. 19.The operational method for object based attention tracking in a virtualenvironment according to claim 17 wherein the evaluation of the obtainedeye tracking data and the assigning of attention data to specificobjects of interest that results in object specific attention data isobtained following the session in post session processing.
 20. Theoperational method for object based attention tracking in a virtualenvironment according to claim 17 further including the step ofassigning metadata to the objects of interest that allows for sortingand categorizing the resulting object attention data.